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Tuina, the ancient

healing bodywork

of China.The great forerunner of all the

Oriental healing systems, and the

oldest recorded system of bodywork

in the world, is the ancient healing

massage of Traditional Chinese

Medicine. Tuina combines soft tissue

manipulation and structural

alignment with traditional Chinese

medical theory and is used to treat a

wide variety of musculoskeletal,

respiratory, digestive, andreproductive disorders.

Studies show that as far back as 2700

B.C.E., the Chinese people in the

Yellow River valley began to organize

massage techniques into a medical

discipline. Bone fragments that were

used as oracular tools during the

Shang Dynasty show a complete

system of pediatric massage and how

the female healers of the era treated

disease with massage. It wouldappear from these records that even

during this early period in history,

massage had reached a high level.

During the Tang Dynasty, a doctoral

degree was created for massage at the

Imperial Medical College. Doctors

taught students at the college "to

master the physical and breathing

exercises to treat diseases and rectify

injuries." Today, there are medical

schools and hospitals devotedexclusively to the practice of Tuina

massage as well as departments for

its study established in every school

and hospital of traditional medicine.

For 1600 years, Tuina doctors have

been held in the same high regard as

doctors of acupuncture or herbal

medicine.

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Tuina was largely unknown in the

West until 1976 when Taoist

Master Share K. Lew began

teaching it in Los Angeles. At that

time, there was no one else

teaching it in the United States and

most certainly no one else

practicing it outside of the Chinese

community. Master Lew grew up in

the Yellow Dragon Temple in

Canton province where he received

instruction in Kung Fu, Qi Gong

internal energy exercises, Tuina,

healing with the hands, herbal

medicine, ritual magic, and

exorcism. These subjects were

normally taught to all monks as

part of an integral whole. Today,

due to cultural differences, they are

taught independently of each other.

The main principles of treatment in

this system are to regulate the Qi,

Blood and Viscera, and to facilitate

the proper functioning of the

musculoskeletal system. To do this,

a wide variety of techniques are

used to manipulate the soft tissue

of the body, acupressure is used to

affect the flow of energy, and "bone

setting" techniques are used to

realign the structure of the body.

This makes for a very large system

of hands-on healing.

In the West, physical medicine is

divided into separate and distinct

disciplines. Chiropractic, physical

therapy, and massage are all

separate fields of study. In fact, in

our system we differentiate

between chiropractic and

osteopathy, physical therapy and

occupational therapy are

considered separate modalities and

many see massage and therapeutic

bodywork as different types of

work. In China, all of these are

considered physical medicine and

fall under the large umbrella of

Tuina.

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There are different specialties within Tuina just like

there are different specialties within Western

medicine. Each medical school teaches its own unique

style along with dozens of auxiliary techniques. Some

of the main specialties include the Rolling style (large

muscle groups and joint dysfunction), One Finger Push

(acupressure and internal organ disharmony), Nei

Gong (internal energy generation and off the body

healing), all of which are taught at the International

Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB). Bone setting

(orthopedics), sports massage, and pediatrics are also

specialties in China. All of these schools have roughly

three things in common: they all have long histories,

they all have a theoretical base in Traditional Chinese

Medicine, and they all have a substantial amount ofdocumented clinical experience.

Whether your interest lies in the East or the West,

Tuina can be easily integrated into any form of

bodywork and can make any massage even more

effective.

Tuina and other bodywork modalities available at the

IPSB Massage Therapy Center, call (858) 490-1154 or

visit www.ipsbmassagetherapy.com. To learn moreabout the IPSP Collegeand itscertificate and degree

programs in massage therapy and holistic health, call

(858) 505-1100 or visit www.ipsb.edu.

Skip Kanester, A.S., HHP, has been studying Asian

Healing Arts since 1989 and is a faculty member at the

International Professional School of Bodywork (IPSB).

IPSB MASSAGE THERAPY CENTER'Touching humanity one body at a time'

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Phone: 858-490-1154

Email: mtcinfo@ipsb.edu

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Convenient location in Pacific Beach

Safe, Relaxing, Welcoming Environment

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